The Menu
:: The menu is a "list of clickable words" located to the left of your ship. The menu is used to do virtually everything in game other than Movement and Combat. The menu always represents a selcted object. Yes, your own ship is, in fact, a selectable object! If you do not see the menu, it is because nothing is selected. Simply click on any object in order to select it. Clicking on any other object will select that object instead of the current one. Clicking on the selected object will deselect it. Navigating through the menu is simple, even though the menu may appear overwhelming at times. There are two different "types" of options in the menu. The options with a little arrow ( ->) to the right of them lead to another list of options, while the options without the arrow either do an action or bring up a pop-up panel. To back out of a list of options, press the large up arrow " ^''' " located just above the list. This guide will use "menu notation" to indicate paths in the menu. For example, we could say, "Select your ship and go to "Menu->Laser Gun->Inspect"". To get there, select your ship by clicking on it(unless it is already selected). If you see only one option on the list to the left of your ship, "Menu->", click on it. If you see several options instead of "Menu->", all this means is that you've already clicked on "Menu->" before. Next, find the option "Laser Gun->" in the list and click on it. This will lead you to a final list, where the only option is "Inspect". Clicking this will bring up a pop-up panel showing some information about your Laser Gun. Finally, you can click the large up arrow " '''^ " several times to go back out of the menu. The Ship Menu : The "ship menu" is the menu that is accessed when selecting your own ship. It is the most easily accessable menu in the game, since your ship is always at the center of the screen, and has a lot of functinality. Here you can build as well as manage your cargo and inspect your weaponry. Full Overview of Ship Menu : "Menu->" -Click on this to open the menu. :: "Inspect-" This option is available for virtually everything in the game. It brings up a panel that show useful information such as the name, type, description, and stats of an object. This is, by far, the most commonplace option, available for almost everything. :: "Cargo hold->" -This option brings up a list about your cargo hold. It is also found on any structure with a cargo hold. ::: "Inspect"- Brings up information about your ship's Cargo Hold. ::: "Show Contents"- Brings up a panel that shows your ship's cargo. See Panels below for further details. :: "Engines->", "Plasma Gun->",'' "Laser Gun->", and "''Missile Launcher->" -All four of these options lead to a list with only the Inspect option. ::: "Inspect"- Brings up information about the ship part selected. :: "Nano Bots->" -This option is used to bring up the building list. ::: "Inspect"-'' Brings up some information about the Nano Bots. ::: ''"Build ..."-'' Click on this to start building the respective item. See B''uilding ''below for further details. :: ''"Trade Module'->" -This optinon brings up an empty list. The trade module is not in the game yet. Building : To build a structure, select your ship and go to "Menu->Nano Bots->". You build the respective structure by clicking one of the "Build ..." options. In order to start buidling, you must have the required amount of resources in your ship's cargo hold. See the main article, Nanobots, for more details about building(s). Other Menus : Every item in the game has menu options! Here are some uses for these menus: Storing/Trading/Industry : Most buildable structures contain their own cargo holds. Through "Menu->Cargo hold->Show Contents", the cargo hold panel for any object can be accessed. This can be used to view, organize, and jettison the items that are inside the object. Every cargo hold other than your own ship's will also have a start transfer option under "Menu->Cargo hold->Start Transfer". This can be used to transfer items between your cargo hold and the selected object's, as well as view, organize, and jettison the items inside either your ship or the selected object. Industry is currently achieved by putting the required materials into the cargo hold of the factory. See'' Panel Instructions'' ''below for directions on how to use the panels.' Mining/Salvaging/Looting : Certain objects, such as gas clouds, asteroids, ship wrecks, and jettisoned cargo, will have the "Menu->Collect Material" option. Click this option and, if you are close enough and have enough free space in yuur ship's cargo hold, you will start a collection cycle, picking up items from the object. There is a limit on how much each cycle can collect which differs for each item, forcing you to make multiple collections on large deposits. Spamming the collect option will result in the collection cycle freezing. This can be resolved by clicking on the option once more and only once until it finishes. Panels : Panels are pop-up boxes that are accessed from the menu. You can move them around by clicking on the bar and close them by clicking on the X in the upper right-hand corner. You can have as many panels out at one time as you want, even multiple copies of the same one. So far, there are three types of panels in the game: Inspect panels : These panels show useful information such as the name, type, description, and stats of an object or item. They have no special functionalities. Cargo Hold panels : These panels are accessed with "Menu->Cargo hold->Show Contents" option. They are available on every object with cargo holds. They feature an interface that displays all the items in that cargo hold. Item stacks can be selected by clicking on them. Stacks can be split apart by pressing the "Split" button which appears right next ot the selected item. Other stacks of the same type as the selected item will have a "Merge" button next to them, allowing stacks to be recombined. The wierd squiggle button to the right of the cargo hold panel allows you to drop the selected item into space. Be careful, however, as hydrogen turns into a cloud when dropped and you can only pick up other dropped cargo at a rate of 100 per button press. Start Transfer panels : Every structure with a cargo hold other than your own ship will have this option under "Menu->Cargo hold->Start Transfer". This will bring up two Cargo Hold panels, one above the other, connected by a Start Transfer panel. In order to transfer anything between the two cargo holds,select the item you wish to transfer and click the button in the middle transfer panel that points the way the item should go, away from its panel and toward the other. To transfer a select amount of items, use the "Split" and "Merge" features described in the paragraph above.